By SEMA News Editors
Content Creator Spotlight: The "Dirt Drive Podcast" and Dirt Nerds Off-Road featuring
Tim Germinario and Tom Sylvester
Instagram: @dirtnerdsoffroad, @thedirtdrive, @dirtnerds_motors
Facebook: @thedirtdrive, @dirtnerdsmotors
YouTube: @dirtnerdsoffroad
TikTok: @dirtnerdsoffroad
Focus: Off-roading, overlanding and 4x4
Tim Germinario (left) and Tom Sylvester of The "Dirt Drive Podcast" and Dirt Nerds Off-Road.
Tim Germinario and Tom Sylvester eat, sleep and breathe all things off-road. The pair are owners of Dirt Nerd Motors, an off-road shop in Sterling, Virginia, helping others pursue their passion for the great outdoors. In their spare time, they host the "Dirt Drive Podcast," educating and informing listeners on issues facing the off-road community. Now, Germinario and Sylvester are aiming to use their platform--and proximity to Washington, D.C.--to be a voice for that community and help preserve public lands and improve outdoor access.
Get to know the "Dirt Drive Podcast" hosts in their interview with SEMA News below:
Listen to episodes of the "Dirt Drive Podcast" with Karen Bailey-Chapman and Matt Daigle from SEMA's Washington, D.C., office, and SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola.
How did you get into the automotive industry?
Tim Germinario: I've been a lifelong auto enthusiast, starting with my first car. It was a '84 Jeep CJ-7 that my dad passed down to me when I started driving. We would wrench on it just to keep it alive and trying to restore it. We'd cruise around the woods, and everyone in high school drooled over that Jeep. I have had a few Jeep projects over the years and continue to wrench on things. My current projects are my '98 Jeep XJ and '71 Camaro LS-Swap.
Tom Sylvester: I grew up watching the classic car TV shows like "Monster Garage" and "Overhaulin'". I knew immediately that I wanted to work with custom cars in some way. I fell in love with Jeeps and off-roading early and that eventually led to the opening of our off-road shop, Dirt Nerds Motors. I attended the Pennsylvania College of Technology for Automotive Restoration and Automotive Management and have been in the industry my entire adult life.
What's been your biggest motivator?
The podcast grew from us all being close friends and going on four-wheeling trips together. We'd sit around the fire pit and tell stories or answer questions for folks we met on the trail. We had multiple strangers tell us we'd be a great podcast. Fast forward a few years and we have more than 150 episodes recorded and released weekly. We've been able to meet some incredible people in the industry and we can't wait to see what the next 150 episodes bring. We'll continue to try and educate and involve as many people as we can. We love keeping our followers informed as best as we can and helping advocate for our sport and hobby.
What's been your favorite part of being a part of the automotive community?
The people are what make the automotive community amazing. We focus on 4x4s and off-roading and that specific community highlights what it means to be an enthusiast. We've never been on the trail and needed help and not had strangers stop and make sure we're ok. The friends that we've gained from this become family quickly. The long cross-country trips and overcoming the challenges of off-roading build incredible relationships. I know the rest of the niches in the car culture can all relate to that. Whether it's wrenching parties, borrowing or trading parts and tools, or just waiting for the tow truck with them is what makes this community the best.
As a content creator in the industry, how do you hope to make an impact on your audience?
The off-road community faces a ton of challenges, ranging from land-use rights, cost of ownership issues and land stewardship. Our goal is to educate our audience on everything we can. We aren't necessarily to all-knowing experts but we try and bring those experts in to help. It's fun for us because we get to learn with our audience while getting those messages out and setting an example of being good stewards of the land. There is also massive growth in off-road racing and motorsports. As fans of the sport, we like to raise awareness and bring coverage to our audience. We want our sport and hobby to continue to grow in a safe and sustainable manner. We plan to continue to reach people in a fun but meaningful way.
Why is advocacy important to you?
Being close to Washington, D.C., we can be a voice for our community. The off-road space is extremely diverse and, in my opinion, misunderstood by the non-automotive folks. We are viewed as wanting to take our big trucks out in the woods and knock down our forests or wreck the beautiful streams, but, we are the exact opposite of that. We enjoy all the beautiful, undisturbed sights nature has to offer. Being able to get out and drive to new trailheads for hiking, finding incredible campsites or an amazing view is why we do this. Being able to contribute our voices and represent our community is an honor and we hope to get more involved in preserving our public lands and our ability to access them.
What's been the biggest moment of your career thus far?
It's hard to pick out one specific moment. We've met so many great people and even met some role models and industry icons that have influenced us over the years. I'd have to loop the whole of 2024 into the biggest moment. We had a great year getting involved in many events and attending the PRI Show. The PRI Show was the first event we attended as true credentialed media, and it sparked incredible opportunities for us.
What is on the horizon for you in 2025? Anything you're looking forward to?
The year is off to a hot start for us with events we're hosting and planned trips. We've got the first week of November highlighted for the 2025 SEMA Show. We've got some cool ideas for content and are hoping to be able to execute all of them. I hope everyone follows along for our goofy yet educational shenanigans.
What are you hoping to see from the industry in the next few years?
There isn't much we're hoping for other than more growth in both the industry side and hobbyist side. Off-roading and overlanding have so much to offer, from amazing travel experiences to learning new skills. We love seeing new people come into the community and dive headfirst into the lifestyle.
Are you a passionate automotive or racing content creator? Do you want to get involved with SEMA/PRI and spread the word about important advocacy initiatives? Contact Lauren Wilbor from the SEMA Washington, D.C., office at laurenpw@sema.org.